You did it — you created the perfect survey! But what’s the point if no one takes it??
I’ve found a good survey email subject line is the key to getting customers to open your survey and share their feedback.
And since customer feedback is invaluable, I’ll review the best survey titles and survey email subject lines to help guarantee that first click.
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100 Email Subject Lines We Actually Clicked
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Survey Subject Line vs Survey Title
A survey title is written directly on the survey landing page. Its function is both internal and external: Each survey title will be used by companies to track survey results, and it will also compel readers to begin taking the survey.
A survey subject line is displayed in customers’ email inboxes. Subject lines have one core purpose: to compel readers to open the email. There’s an enormous amount of psychology and research that goes into crafting the most successful email subject lines possible.
Get our free guide: 100+ email subject lines that work.
What Makes a Great Survey Title?
Did you know that survey pages can have very high bounce rates? You may have gotten a reader to click on the survey link, but that doesn’t mean that they’re compelled to complete it just yet.
Here are some survey title characteristics I’ve discovered that successful campaigns embody:
- Unique title every time. Your company may run the same survey every quarter or year, but it needs to be given a unique name so that you can track each campaign accurately.
- Personality. You’re asking customers to put time into your survey, so start off on the right foot by putting in some effort yourself. Avoid generic titles like “Customer Satisfaction Survey.” When I see a survey with these blank generic titles, I assume the company put very little thought into it.
- Include the customer. One of the most powerful words in copywriting is “you.” Tell us your opinion, we want your thoughts, how did you find us? Break the fourth wall and look the customer directly in the eyes.
I’m going to share a lot of examples of these principles in action as you read on.
Survey Title Examples
- How did you find us?
- Tell us about your last customer service experience.
- What can we do better?
- How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?
- Rate us on a scale of 1-10.
- How do you feel about our product?
- What motivates you to do business with us?
- Share how you would rate our pricing for this product.
- Why did you choose our services?
In most cases, your survey title and your survey email subject line may go hand in hand. Let’s review some examples of survey titles based on the type of survey you’re running.
Customer Feedback Survey Titles
Here are a few customer feedback survey title ideas:
- How did you find us?
- Tell us about your last customer service experience.
- What can we do better?
Use our free customer satisfaction survey templates to gather this information quickly!
Net Promoter Score® Survey Titles
Here are a few NPS survey title ideas:
- How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?
- Rate us on a scale of 1-10.
- How do you feel about our product?
Market Research Survey Titles
Here are a few market research survey title ideas:
- What motivates you to do business with us?
- Share how you would rate our pricing for this product.
- Why did you choose our services?
What Makes a Great Subject Line for a Survey?
Your subject lines make or break your survey campaigns, in my opinion.
Statistic: 35% of customers report opening emails based on the subject line alone.
Here are some characteristics that successful email subject lines are made of:
- Clear intent. While survey emails with curious subject lines may get high open rates, they won’t necessarily yield more responses. I hate feeling tricked into opening an email with a misleading subject line — no one likes feeling like this. Clear subject lines build trust.
- Personalization. Email personalization is easy to achieve, and it helps subject lines stand out. I personally find that seeing my name at the end of the email subject line gets my attention more than any other type of personalization.
- Familiar tone. When I regularly open emails from a business, I know their tone, and it rings alarm bells when the tone suddenly changes. Ultimately, I recommend letting your normal email marketing team have the final say on the subject line copy to keep your company on brand.
Pro tip: A/B test your email subject lines to help you gain insight into how your audience reacts to your content.
To build on these principles, let's look at the best survey email subject lines.
Best Subject Lines for Surveys
Below, I’ve compiled 21 captivating survey email subject lines to help you grab your audience’s attention and increase survey participation.
1. [Name], we want to hear from you.
Why this works: The name personalization in the subject line makes the outreach more human, and you’re letting the customer know that you’re listening.
2. How can we do better?
Why this works: You’re recognizing that your products and services aren’t perfect, but you’re also willing to take the necessary steps to improve. I think this show of humility gives customers more confidence in your brand.
3. Give us your feedback, get 30% off.
Why this works: This shows the customer that you want to create a mutually beneficial relationship, and it incentivizes them to take your survey.
4. Help us help you.
Why this works: This is another relationship-building tactic because it tells the customer that you want to work together to meet their needs.
5. Be honest — how are we doing?
Why this works: By encouraging honesty, you’re creating an environment where customers are empowered to speak freely and more likely to contribute their thoughts and ideas. In my experience, honest feedback is the most valuable feedback.
6. Your opinion matters. Let’s chat.
Why this works: You’re letting the recipient know that you care about how they feel, and you’re giving them a forum to make their thoughts heard.
Here’s an example of this subject line copy in the wild, sent by Ring.
7. How was [product]? Tell us all about it.
Why this works: I like how the product personalization allows you to specify the type of feedback you’re requesting, and it makes the customer feel like you appreciate them as an individual.
8. More than a penny ($25) for your thoughts?
Why this works: This recognizable play on words is eye-catching, and the incentive gives customers a reason to participate in your survey.
I found an example of this subject line in the wild, sent by Tailor Brands:
9. How do you really feel about [service]?
Why this works: This encourages customers to air out their true feelings, and the service personalization adds that human touch that customers are looking for.
10. Share your feedback. We’re all ears.
Why this works: I think the “we’re all ears” phrasing emphasizes that your company is willing to accept feedback with open arms and ready to act on it.
11. Thoughts on our customer service? 👂
Why this works: When you make customers feel valued, you win. Plus, existing customers can point out holes and shortcomings with your customer service better than your internal team can.
Statistic: 64% of customers say they’ll choose a new company to purchase from if the original company doesn’t have good customer service — no matter how enjoyable they find the product.
Need help managing your customer feedback? Use the HubSpot customer feedback tool.
12. It’s been 14 days. How’s it going?
Why it works: Automating this customer success email survey to send within a close time frame after purchase can help turn a one-time purchase into a long-term relationship. You also get incredibly powerful data from customers by asking if they’ve quickly achieved their goals with your product.
The subject line was inspired by the company Bellroy, which sent me the below email using the subject line “Day 30. What’s happened so far?”
13. What’s NOT working with [product], [name]?
Why it works: Negative customer feedback, while unpleasant, is an enormous opportunity for companies. To quote Bill Gates, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” I find it feels honest and authentic to see a company asking to hear your complaints.
Statistic: 62% of customers have reported that they share a bad experience with others. I think it’s better to hear that bad experience directly so you can address it head-on.
14. Survey closing 🚨 last day to share your thoughts
Why it works: Putting a time limit on your survey creates a sense of urgency for readers and inspires action, getting attention and improving response rates.
15. Name, how did you like [purchase]?
Why it works: While getting big-picture feedback from customers can feel like pulling teeth, it’s much easier to engage customers in specific satisfaction surveys. This is another type of customer success email survey that can help you get very specific insights into how customers are finding your product or service.
Inspired by this automated email sent by Amazon:
16. Not your average satisfaction survey 👀 (takes 60 secs)
Why it works: Customer surveys are a dime a dozen, and customers are constantly asked to participate. Give viewers a reason to feel that yours is worth completing. Just make sure that you deliver something “un-average” in your email body!
17. Our survey is literal trash without you, [first name]
Why it works: This funny, candid subject line is less corporate-speak and more friendly text. Old, large companies rarely have the flexibility to take risks with humor (who wants to upset board members by being “unprofessional?”), so a casual tone is a superpower only wielded by the little guys.
18. Tell us what you think of [company name] in 30 seconds
Why it works: The 30-second time clock is the secret ingredient of this email’s subject line. Who doesn’t have 30 seconds to spare? Customers will appreciate the ease and give quick, candid feedback.
Here’s an example of this email survey subject line I found in the wild, sent by Thumbtack:
19. Yes, a company survey (but NOT a waste of time) 🦄
Why it works: Pulling the viewer’s attention to the word “NOT” is eye-catching and creates intrigue. It’s slightly clickbait-y, but just make sure you follow through on your promise in the email body. The unicorn emoji is a nod to the slang definition of “unicorn,” meaning that this is rare.
20. Want your ideas reviewed by the team?
Why it works: Everyone likes to feel listened to, and this subject line plays right into that customer psychology. It also implies that readers have valuable insights that the team can benefit from, building a positive connection.
21. We’d looooooove your feedback, [name]!
Why this works: The exaggeration and candid nature of this subject line make it feel less like corporate marketing and more like a text from a friend.
This subject line was inspired by the below example from Flywheel. I love that they followed this subject lineup with a line of party emojis inside the email body copy.
Now that we’ve reviewed some survey email subject line examples, let’s discuss best practices for writing your own.
Survey Email Subject Line Best Practices
- Align with your goal.
- Keep it concise.
- Make it personal.
- Highlight incentives.
- Avoid spam filters.
- Center the customer.
- Consider an ethical angle.
- Use emojis 🕺
These are my best practices I hope you consider when writing your next survey email subject line.
Align with your goal.
Your survey email subject line should support your overarching survey goal. Since there are many different types of surveys to choose from, think about the following:
- Why did you choose that particular survey method?
- What are you hoping to get out of the survey?
- How do you plan to leverage the feedback you receive?
I recommend you make it clear to customers why you’re running the survey so they understand how they can contribute. Here’s a great example from South Dakota tourism that aims to re-engage cold email subscribers by asking them to click on the tourism experience that the recipient would enjoy most.
The subject line “Let’s Reconnect ❤️” is short and sweet, which makes it no surprise that it leads to a very short survey. The results of this survey may feed the brand’s content creation plan or feed future tailored email campaigns.
Keep it concise.
The best survey email subject lines are brief and to the point. You have the body of the email to capture the nitty-gritty details, so only include the most compelling information in the subject.
I think a good rule of thumb to follow is to keep your subject line under 10 words and to use no more than 40-50 characters.
Brevity gets the recipient’s attention and respects their time — it’s a copywriting superpower. Here’s a great example from Virgin Airlines — the subject line “Tell us all about it” says everything it needs to say in 20 brief characters.
Make it personal.
Customers want to feel like you value them personally, so it’s important to craft a subject line that humanizes the interaction and adds a personal touch. I suggest using their name or specific details about their purchase history as part of your survey communications to show them you acknowledge them as an individual.
Warning: Using someone’s name alone isn’t effective enough to get a positive response rate. I saw an email from one company that simply used the subject line “👋 Hey [First Name]!” I imagine this got pretty good open rates... and a fair share of unsubscribes. This is a flop in my book.
It feels sneaky to use someone’s name as clickbait to trigger their curiosity. Instead, try thoughtful, personalized subject lines. Here’s an email example of a more effective personalized subject line from Golden State Warriors that used the subject line “[First Name], We Want to Hear Your Thoughts!”
Highlight incentives.
In a crowded inbox, a gift stands out (let’s be honest, where DOESN’T a gift stand out?). If you’re giving out a reward for survey participation, let your customers know that upfront.
You can (and should) highlight discounts, freebies, and other offers directly in the subject line. In other words, tell customers what they’ll get in return for their participation. Quid pro quo. A good subject line highlights this right away to hook the reader.
Here’s an example from coffee company Grind: “Answer a five-minute survey, win a Coffee Machine.” As you’re writing these incentivized headlines, be sure not to step into the spam territory (next time).
Avoid inbox spam filters.
Did you know that certain email subject lines can send your emails straight to the inbox graveyard — the spam folder? Large numbers, like saying “$1 million,” can get your email marked as spam. You may be surprised to hear that the word “free” is also on that list, though using one trigger word isn’t an automatic sentencing.
I should also mention you’re not just trying to avoid inbox spam detectors here; you also don’t want the recipient assuming the email is spam.
Statistic: 69% of customers report marking an email as spam based on the subject line alone.
Here’s a great subject line example from Lonely Planet: “Help Lonely Planet map our next chapter 🗺️.” There’s no exaggerated language that raises concerns with viewers — just a simple invitation.
Center the customer.
I currently have a survey email in my inbox with the subject line “[Company] Needs Your Feedback!” and... it misses the mark. Why? Because it centers the company instead of the customer.
The best email surveys make viewers feel like the CENTER of the company’s universe. Beyond offering an incentive, email survey subject lines can also communicate to viewers that the survey is meant to improve their experience.
The below answer is from The Browser Company, and it’s not a typical survey email. The bulk of this email campaign is spent letting viewers know how customer feedback has improved the platform. I think the subject line “Arc Update | Your feedback = our new features” hooks readers, then at the bottom, with just a single paragraph, it invites more user feedback.
Most companies tell customers that their feedback matters; this email shows customers.
Consider an ethical angle.
As helpful as a customer satisfaction survey is, customers know that this feedback helps the company ultimately improve its sales. But I think you have an opportunity here to shine a light on the mission-based part of your company’s work with your surveys and subject lines. This is powerful because users care about the values of the companies they support.
Statistic: 82% of shoppers report preferring to support a company with values that align with theirs.
Here’s an example I found from the clothing brand Eton that asks users to weigh in on their sustainability agenda. The subject line “Take part in our sustainability survey” immediately helps readers identify this as a mission-based email survey and makes them feel included in a positive initiative.
Use emojis 🕺
Emojis — whether you think they’re fun or unprofessional, you can’t deny that they draw your eye (especially in a crowded inbox). I find emojis are a 🚀 powerful tool for improving survey response rates.
Statistic: 60% of email subject lines containing emojis perform better than those without emojis 😳
The below survey email from Best Day Brewing has the subject line “Can We Ask You One Question? 🙏,” which sticks out thanks to the candid tone and personal feel of the emoji. I also like how the company followed through on its promise of a quick survey. They caught viewers’ attention and made it easy to engage, which is a recipe for a good email survey.
Final Thoughts
The world (okay, my inbox) would be a better place with more intentional use of email marketing. Let’s all do the secret marketer’s handshake 🤝 and agree to be brief and intentional with people’s inboxes.
It’ll save us ALL some time. And increase the likelihood of people responding to your surveys.
Even the best surveys can go unnoticed if they don’t have the support of a strong survey email subject line. Use the tips and examples in this article to get the most out of your next survey.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
100 Email Subject Lines We Actually Clicked
Dozens of examples of stand-out email subject lines.
- Sales Email Subject Lines
- Funny Subject Lines
- Social Proof Subject Lines
- And more!
Download Free
All fields are required.
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